Rotary engine.



T. H. LEWIS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 19, 191 0.

1,010,650 Patented Dem; 1911.

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Z I A THEODORE H. LEWIS, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA ROTARY I ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1911.

Application filed December 19, 1910. Serial No. 598,066.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE H. LEwIs, citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rotary engine of that class wherein a cylinder having an annular chamber is rotated by the pressure of'the steam or other fluid admit-ted to the annular chamber and acting between a radial partition in it and a corresponding partition projected into the chamber from a fixed portion of the engine, which projected partition may be withdrawn to permit the partition which is fixed in the chamber to pass during rotation.

The invention is particularly described in the following specification, reference being made to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional end elevation of the engine on the line A A in Fig. 2, Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line B B in Fi 1, Fig. 3, a detail section on the line C C. Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail view illustrating the connection between the valve rods and the cams that operate the valves.

In these drawings 2 represents'the base of the engine from which two cylinder covers 3 upwardly project, which covers may be either integral with or secured to the base. Between these covers 3 a cylinder 4 is rotatable, being secured to the drivlng shaft 5 which is carried in bearings of the end covers 3 and such other supplementary bearings 6 as may be required.

The cylindrical body 4 is provided in each end with an annular chamber or recess 7 which chambers are separated from one another by' a mid-partition 8. Each annular chamber 7 has also a radial partition 9, the partition 9 of one chamber being on the diametrically opposite side of the cylinder to that of the other.

Endwise slidable in a casing 10 on each end cover 3 is a partition 11 which may be projected into the annular chamber 7 and will closely fit the cross section of the cham-:

- ber when so projected while permitting rotation of the chamber. These slidablepartitions 11 require to be withdrawn from their annular chambers 7, each as the partition 9 of its chamber approaches, and to be again projected int-o it after the partition 9 has passed: With this object each slidable partition 11 is connected by a rod 15, and links 16 to ,a' lever 12 one for each partition 9. Each lever 12 is fulcrumed at 13 and encircles a cam 14 secured on the'shaft 5 and this cam has a circumferential groove into which project pins or bearings from the encircling portion of the lever. The profile of the groove in the cam la is such as will effect the desired movement of the slidable partition.

Steam is delivered to these ports 20 or 20 of each annular chamber by a steam pipe 21 having a valve 19 by which the steam may be diverted at will 'to the steam admission ports 20 or 20 according as rotation is required in one direction or the other.

Control of the stem through the ports 20 or 20 at each end is exercised by a valve 22 slidable over each port and operated by an eccentric cam 23 through a connecting rod 2 1; the eccentricity of the cams being such as will open and close the valves quickly as required.

Adjacent to each admission port 20 and 20 of each annular chamber 7 are exhaust ports26 and 26 that 26 being adjacent to the steam port 20 and that 26 adjacent to the steam port 20. 26 is for. the exhaust when the engine is running in one direction taking steam through the ports 20 and 26* when the engine is running in the opposite direction and taking steam through the steam port20 While running one set or the other of these exhaust ports 26 or 26*, stand open all the time but while those 26 are open those 26 are closed. They are opened and closed when the direction of rotation of the engine is reversed by valves 27 slidable over them and operable in opposite directions by rods 28 connected to opposite ends of a lever 29 pivoted at 30 on each end of the engine, the

lever 29 being moved by a handle lever 31 the lever system of the two ends of the ention 11 has been again projected into its annular chamber 7, the steam admission valve 22 uncovers the port 20 and admits steam between the slidable partition 11 and that 9 of the rotatable annular chamber, which is rotated under this pressure. I

The cam 14 may be arranged to operate the valve 22 to cut ofi the steam supply and allow what steam has been delivered into the chamber to act expansively. This, it will do until the partition 9 passes over the exhaust ports 26 or 26 of the same chamber, when the contents of the chamber will be delivered to the exhaust through the port 26 or 26*.

The partitions 9 of the annular chambers being arranged diametrically opposite to one another when a half revolution has been performed and the pressure of the steam in one chamber is expanded the other will receive steam through its valve 20 or 2O and the same cycle of operation will be performed, so that the turning moment on the cylinder as a whole and therefore on the driving shaft will be fairly uniform.

The engine is reversed by turning the valve 19 to deliver steam to the ports 20 or 20'' and to cut it oft from the other, and the exhaust ports 26 or 26 are opened and closed to simultaneously correspond by the handle lever 31.

A simple and effective engine is thus provided the steam pressure of which is exerted in the transmission of power, without any reciprocating movement, and the steam may be used expansively to any desired extent. The other side of the area on which the steam acts being at all times open to the exhaust there need be no resisting back pressure if the exhaust port is of sufficient area.

I do not desire to be confined to the particular arrangement of the steam and exhaust pipes here shown nor to the particular manner by which the steam admission valves are operated from the driving shaft or the steam and exhaust valves reversed, but desire to be protected in the features which I believe to be novel and which I claim to be as follows:

In a rotary engine, a rotatable body having chambers, a sliding abutment for dividing said chambers into an intake and an exhaust side, a means for operating said sliding abutment from said rotatable body, a pair of working agent inlet ducts and a pair of working agent exhaust ducts each having ports delivering into said chambers, one inlet duct and one exhaust duct delivering at one side of said abutment and the other inlet duct and exhaust duct delivering at the other side of said abutment, exhaust valves for said exhaust ducts, lever actuated means connecting said exhaust valves to simultaneously open one valve and close the other, inlet valves controlling said inlet ducts, cam actuated means for alternately operating said inlet valves, and a throttle valve to deliver working agent into either of said inlet ducts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE H. LEWIS. Witnesses:

ROWLAND BRITTAIN,

WM. S. SOUTAR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

